Dr. Pascal Boniface is the Founder and Director of IRIS, the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques (Institute for International and Strategic Relations), France. He is also a consultant on strategic issues for the French Department of Defense and Department of Foreign Affairs … Dr. Pascal Boniface has published or edited more than thirty books on international relations, nuclear deterrence and disarmament, European security and French international politics. He frequently writes articles on international politics for national newspapers (Le Figaro, Libération, Challenges). He also publishes regular analyses in international newspapers, such as Al-Ittihad (United Arab Emirates), La Vanguardia (Spain) and Al-Raya (Qatar). (full text).

He says: “The spectators of a football match can enjoy the mythical excitement of battles taking place in the stadium, and they know that neither the players nor they will suffer any harm”. (full text).

He says: “There are more black faces in the national side, than in the whole of the Assemblee Nationale”. (full text).

Those who the gods may destroy, they grant their wishes. Zinedine Zidane may be pondering that bit of ancient Greek wisdom today. Having announced that he would end his professional career with the World Cup, Zidane had his wish fulfilled. After France barely survived the tournament’s first round, Zidane performed at the top of his game and led the team to the brink of a second World Cup championship. But instead of finishing his career in triumph, or at least with an ovation, he was ejected from the final for head-butting an Italian player. There have been few such tragic moments in football history. (full text).

He says also: “We are now living in a world where what happens outside of our country has direct repercussions on our daily lives. On both economic and strategic fronts, globalisation has ruled out the notion of boundaries. From environmental protection, to security, terrorism and conflicts, it is evident that the different parts of the planet are interrelated. Hence, we can no longer draw a neat line between what is domestic and what is foreign. Seeing that overlaps occur daily and all over the globe, the French, contrary to the opinion of some of the elites, are interested in international issues and are conscious of their influences on the world. It is evident that the voters’ choice will be determined primarily by economic and social issues, but I remain convinced that international issues will be part of the equation in the coming elections”. (full interview text).

He says also: “If France is knocked out of the rugby in the first round, the president’s personal links to the team will become more of a handicap than an advantage, but rugby will still remain marginal to any other difficulties he faces”. (full text).

However, if Europe managed to reconcile after the Second World War, it was because Germany did reckon with the Nazi crimes. In Asia, Japan never went that so far as to admit it had committed war crimes, which kept the countries in the region from reconciling. Most of all, Europe succeeded because it was at peace. The common projects have consolidated peace, but peace in Europe existed before these projects. (full text, Nov. 2, 2007).

And he writes: Pascal Boniface – The Specter of Unilateralism – The Washington Quarterly 24:3 The Washington Quarterly 24.3 (2001) 155-162 The Specter of Unilateralism Pascal Boniface Many Americans, indeed many Westerners, believe that the French are anti-American by nature. No one in Washington would be surprised if a top-secret document, leaked from the Quai d’Orsay, revealed that French leaders spend their spare time thinking of ways to tweak the beak of the U.S. eagle. The myth of maverick France, personified by the larger-than-life figure of General Charles de Gaulle, is profoundly anchored in the collective imagination. Myths die hard. Nobody seems to notice that de Gaulle has been dead for more than 30 years and that the Franco-U.S. relationship has moved on. Today, French opinion on how to approach the United States is far more nuanced … (full text).

Let’s try the second hypothesis. When a marginal candidate, such as the anti-globalization champion José Bové, holds a meeting in Paris, he speaks of the usual left topics: jobs, housing, public services, rights of immigrants, and his own emblematic crusade against GMO plantations. Mild applause. But when he denounces the war in Iraq, or defends the rights of the Palestinians, the crowd bursts into loud cheers and sustained applause. But Bové has nothing to lose. One can only guess what might await whichever of the three leading candidates who would dare campaign on the theme of keeping France out of U.S. wars in the Middle East and supporting the rights of Palestinians. It is a theme that many voters would heartily approve. The media, however, would raise cries of scandal, accusing the intrepid candidate of irresponsibility and incompetence – or worse. (full text).